Machine for flanging sheet-metal plates



Feb. 5, 1935. T x. SONNTAG 1,990,255

MACHINE FOR FLANGING SHEET METAL PLATES Filed Oct. 29, 1931 Patented Feb. 5, 1935.

PATENT OFFICE PLATES MACHINE FOR FLANGING SHEET-METAL Xaver Sonntag, Reutc,

Application October 29, 1931, Serial No. 571,823

near Waldsee, Germany In Germany October 30, 1930 n 4 Claims.

application is not limited to, the flanging of sheet- 5 metal coverings for roofs and other parts of buildings.

It is an object of my invention to perform the operation of flanging under more favorable conditions than in the manual process. I

To this end, I provide two superposed parallelly spaced molding plates which are adapted to enclose. a sheet-metal plate between them. One ed e of each molding plate is gradually turned up from the initial or horizontal position of the portion of the sheet-metal plate which is to be flanged, to its bordered-up or vertical position, a helical guideway being formed by the two molding plates. The horizontal or inlet portion of the guideway is substantially at the level of the bordered-up flange, and a gradually descending portion of the guideway is interposed between the horizontal or inlet portion and the vertical or outlet portion, of the guideway. I have found that by, providing the descending portion of the guideway I eliminate stress in the sheet metal which inevitably occurs if the flange is bordered up from its vertical to its horizontal position, without the descending portion. Means are provided for moving a sheet-metal plate through the space between the molding plates.

I have also found that the flanging operation is performed under the most favorable conditions if the leading edge of the helical guide-way, i. e., the portion of the guide-way where the molding 35 plates are horizontal, is at the level of the upper edge of the flange which is molded by the guideway.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention I provide a travelling machine with a rolier at the 40 leading edge of its guideway, which roller engages one side of the sheet-metal plate to be flanged, and means for rotating the roller so that the machine is moved along the sheet-metalplate.

As compared with the manual process referred to, my machine presents numerous advantages. Flanging is facilitated, performed in a shorter time and more uniformly, and the machine may be employed anywhere, not only on roofs but also in a shop or on the field.

In the drawing aflixed to this application and forming part thereof a travelling flanging machine is illustrated diagrammatically by wayof example.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is an elevation,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine,

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections on the line III-III and IV-'IV, respectively, and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a detail.

Referring now to the drawing, and first to Fig. 2, 100 and 101 are two sheet-metal plates, each with a flange 102 and 103, respectively. The leading portion of a device for turning over the flanges 102 and 103 at their upper edges is illustrated in Fig. 2. The flange 102 on the plate 100 has been molded by a previous operation while the flange 103 is molded by the flanging machine from the plate 101, as will be described, and the two flanges are then turned over by the device. 1 is the base plate of the turning-over device which is mounted to run on four carrying wheels 2 on axles 21. only two axles and wheels are shown in Fig. 2. Their journals are connected by rods 20. A pair of rolls 5 and 6 engaging the outer faces of the respective flanges 102 and 103 and mounted on pins 55 and 66 of brackets 56 and 6'7, respectively, are shown in Fig. 2, the other means for turning over the flanges having been omitted as they form no part of the present invention. The flanging machine is secured to the leading end of its base plate 1 by a flange 120 and screws 121. The plate v101 is flanged while moved through the machine. In the example illustrated the machine and the device travel in the direction of the arrow, Figs. 1 and 2,. along the plate 101 which is stationary. The plate might also be moved with respect to a stationary machine. It is delivered to the device 1 with its flange 103 at the side of the flange 102, whereupon the machine is detached'and the device is started for turning the edge of the flange 102 over that of the flange 103 in the manner described.

The flanging machine comprises two parallel molding plates and 122 which are spaced apart for a distance substantially equal to the thiclmess of a sheet-metal plate and are preferably cut out at 130 for reducing the weight of the flanging machine. The leading or inlet end of the machine is supported by a wheel 44 in bearings 151 at the lower face of the molding plate 122. The molding plates 40 and 122 are flat at the leading or inlet end of the machine but their edges are gradually turned up into vertical position toward the trailing or outlet end where they are connected to' the turning-over device. Here the edges form two vertical flanges 123 and 124 with a spacing strip 128 between them, by which the height of the flange 103 is determined. The molding plates 40 and 122, with the horizontal portion at the leading'edge, and the vertical portion 123, 124

way by which the edge of the plate is gradually to the device 1 in the proper position with respect to the flange 102 of the sheet-metal plate 100, as shown in Fig. 2. p

42, 43 are a pair of knurled feeding rollers at opposite sides of the flat portions of the molding plates and 122 near the inlet which project inwardly through holes in the molding plates so as to engage the sheet-metal plate 101 at opposite sides. Means such as bevel gearing 125,

126, and a shaft 127 may be provided for rotating the upper roller 42.

Means may be provided for varying the height of the flange. It willbe understood. that the height of the flange 103 is determined by the depth of the guideway formed by the molding plates 40 and 122. Without such means the height of the flange is determined by the depth of the strip 128. The axes of the feeding rollers 42, 43, or the axis of one of. the rollers, may be inclined to the direction in which the machine moves, in such manner that an inwardly directed force is exerted on the sheet metal and moves the flange into contact with the inner edge of.

strip 128 during the bordering-up of the flange. In thismanner, the height of the flange 103 is determined once and for all by the position of the inner edge of strip 128. If it is desired to obtain a less high flange, checks or similar means must be provided which project into the guide-:'

way beyond the inner edge of the strip 128 and are preferably adjustable. Such means may be hook-shaped brackets secured to the molding plate 40 or 122 and adjustable thereon. A horseshoe bracket 47 is shown near the inlet, with its inwardly projecting shanks straddling the rollers 42, 43. 41 are wing nuts or other suitable means engaging in slots of shanks 147 and 148 of the bracket 47. The inner 'end 129 of the horseshoe bracket 47 projects between the plates 40 and 122, Fig. 4, where the spacing strip 128 is cut away. By moving the bracket 47 inwardly for a given distance and fixing it by means of the wing nuts 41, the height of the flange 103 is determined independently of the depth of strip 128. Obviously supplemental brackets must be provided intermediate the inlet and outletends of the device for holding the upper edge of the flange in thepredetermined position. A single supplemental bracket 48 is shown in Fig. 5. This bracket has only a single slotted inward extension, with a wing nut 130 forsecuring it on the plate 40, but obviously it might have two shanks like the bracket 47. The inner end 131 of the bracket 48 projects into the guideway beyond the inner edge of the strip 128 where the strip is cut away, and engages the edge of the flange instead of the strip 128. The inner end is preferably curved in the direction in which the sheetmetal plate arrives, in order to prevent seizing of the edge of plate 101 as shown in Fig. '5; The inlet side of the tongue 129 of bracket 47 may also be rounded, if desired. Any number of plain or horseshoe brackets may be arranged all over the length of the device from its inlet to its outlet end, as required by the particular conditions. The strip 128 extends from the leading to the trailing edge of the molding plates 40'and 122 and must obviously be cut away where a tongue prgjects into the space between the plates or the flanges 123, 124, as shown in 'Fig'. ,5.

The resistance which the sheet-metal plate 101 encounters between the flanges 123 and 124 at the trailing edge, form together a. helical guidewhile being bordered up, is considerable. Preferably molding rollers and 46 are provided at suitable points along the flanges, two rollers 45 and 46 being shown by way of example. The rollers resemble circular cutters with a double bevel, their edges engaging the sheet-metal plate at the line where the flange 103 merges into the plate 101. The flange 123 is cutaway to make room for the molding rollers.

, As mentioned, it has been found that the flanging operation is performed most favorably if the leading end of the helical guideway, i. e., the

portion below which the wheel 44 is arranged, is at the level of the upper edge of the flan e 103, or about at this level, as best seen in Fig. 1. The relative position of the leading and trailing ends of the helical guideway is limited by the condition that, if the overall height of the'machine, i. e. the vertical distance from the tread of the wheel 44 to the lower edge of the strip 128, is a, the vertical distance from the tread to the upper face of the molding plate'122 at the leading end should be 7a. If the condition that the leading and'trailing ends of the guideway should be substantially at the same level, i. e., within the limits laid down above, is fulfilled, the edge of the flange 103 is applied to the strip 128 throughout its length by the reaction of the sheet metal against deformation, the edge is quite straight and regular and the flange is not creased or corrugated.

Elevating the leading end as shown has the additional advantage that the wheel 44, or any number of wheels, as may be desired, can be arranged cnveniently below the plate 122. By so arranging the guideway that it first elevates the 1 scending portion, the operation is so performed that the flange assumes the curvature it would assume if engaged at the two ends-the horizontal and the vertical end-and not subjected to the action of the guideway. In other words: The 'guideway is adapted to the free curvature of the flange and does not force it into any position it would not assume if it were free between the two ends while on the other, hand eliminating any irregularity in the form of the flange which might occur if it were not positively enaged by the guideway.

It will be understood that my flanging machine is very efllcient as it not only forms a straight and flat flange on the sheet metal but also by the quasi cutting action of the rollers 45 and 46 forms a sharp bend where the flange merges into 'the sheet metal.

In the arrangement described. the plates are flanged in the field, i. e., on the roof or other part of building to be laid with the sheet metal. Preferably the mechanism by which the driving wheels and tools of the turning-over device are driven, which may be a hand wheel (not shown), is connected to the rollers 42, 43 of the flanging machine after having been disconnected from the driving wheels and tools of the device. For instance, the shaft 127 may be driven. by a chainand sprocket-mechanism or'any other suitable means (not shown). f I

When the operation of the flanging machine has been completed it is separated from the device 1 and the device with-its tools is run along 1 wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

, 1.' A machine forflanglng sheet-metal plates comprising two superposed p'arallelly spaced molding plates adapted to enclose a sheet-metal plate between them, with one edge 01' each molding plate gradually turned up from the initial position to the borderedup position of the flange,

whereby a helical guideway is formed which is horizontalat its inlet end and gradually merges into vertical position at its outlet end, the horizontal inlet portion of said guideway being substantially at the level of the upper edge of the bordered -up-flange in the vertical outlet portion of the guideway, a gradually descending portion between-the inlet and outlet ends of said guideway, and means for' moving a sheet-metal plate through said guideway.

.2. A machine for flanging sheet-metal plates comprising 'two superposed parallelly spaced molding plates adapted to enclose a sheet-metal plate between them, with one edge of each molding plate gradually turned up from the initial position to the bordered-up position of the flange,

whereby a helical guideway is formed which is horizontal at its inlet end, and gradually merges into vertical position at its outlet end, the horizontal inlet portion of said guideway'being sub-' stantially at the level of the upper edge of the bordered-up flange in the vertical outlet portion of the guideway, a gradually descending portion between the inlet and outlet ends of said-guideway, a strip projecting into said guideway so that the inneredge of the strip forms a check for the inward movement of said flange in said guideway, and means for moving a sheet-metal plate through said guideway.

not in the field thebordering-up device obviously must have a drive of its own.

3. A machine for flanging sheet-metal plates comprising two superposed parallelly spaced molding plates adapted to enclose a sheet-metal plate between them, with one edgeof each molding plate gradually turned up from the initial position to the bordered-up position of the flange,

whereby a helical guideway is formed which is horizontal at its inlet end and gradually merges into vertical position at its outlet end, the horizontal inlet portion of said guideway being substantially at the level of the upper edge .of the bordered-up flange in the vertical outlet portion of the guideway, a gradually'descending portion between the inlet and outlet ends of said guideway, a, strip projecting into said guideway so that the inner edge of the strip forms a check for. the inward movement of said flange in said guideway, an adjustable check-projecting into said guideway through said strip and beyond its inner edge, and means for moving a'sheet-metal plate through said guideway.

4. A machine for flanging sheet-metal plates comprising two superposed parallelly spaced way, an idle roller supporting the machine at its inlet end, and means including a driving roller tor'engaging the sheet-metal plate so as to move the machine along the plate during the bordering-up operation.

40 XAVER SONNTAG. 

